Carnival Announces Cruise Ship Coming to North America, No Longer Year-Round in Australia

If you love to cruise and live in Australia, it seems like there are fewer and fewer options lately. And with this latest news, there’s going to be one less ship to choose from, at least on a seasonal basis.

North America’s gain is Australia’s loss, as Carnival Cruise Line confirms that a ship that was year-round in Australia will be moving across the Pacific to offer cruises in the Northern Hemisphere.

Carnival just confirmed that Carnival Adventure is sailing to North America in April 2028.

It’s a win for Carnival cruisers in the U.S. and Canada, but it’s another sign that the Australian cruise market is struggling to keep its ships.

Australian Cruise Market

While Carnival remains the only cruise line with a year-round commitment to the region, the “uncertain regulatory environment” in Australia and New Zealand is making it hard for them to stay.

According to some, the high fees and complicated rules are pushing companies to look elsewhere.

Country Manager Peter Little was straightforward, saying that Carnival is seeing more governmental support in other parts of the world.

“In this context, Carnival is adjusting its deployment to better capture greater opportunities elsewhere, while continuing to champion a more competitive and certain operating environment – matters we’ve long emphasized,” Little said.

But this doesn’t mean that Carnival is throwing in the towel.  The cruise line has a long history, even through its other brands, of offering cruises all around Australia.

According to Little, it’s still business as usual. He stated:

“We’re proud of our long-standing commitment to this market. It is business as usual with Carnival Cruise Line operating from more homeports across Australia and New Zealand in 2027/28 than ever before, so there are plenty of attractive itineraries for our guests.”

This news might bring mixed emotions though, as it was just a couple years ago that the announcement was made that P&O Cruises Australia (owned by the parent company Carnival Corp) would be shut down.  The cruise line’s two ships were moved over to Carnival Cruise Line, becoming Carnival Adventure and Carnival Encounter.

The reasons given were based on the “strategic reality” of the situation with higher costs, a small market, and the need for efficiency.

Carnival Adventure’s Move in 2028

Carnival Adventure will finish up its scheduled trips in the South Pacific before repositioning across the ocean. For North American travelers, this means a “new” ship to choose during the summer season.

For Australia, it means one less ship in the harbor during what used to be a busy time of year.

Despite the move, Carnival is trying to reassure Australian cruisers that they aren’t abandoning the region. Little pointed out that they’ll still be busy over the next couple of years:

“Over the next two years, we look forward to welcoming onboard about 1.2 million fun-loving guests across about 400 voyages as we continue to sail year-round to amazing destinations.”

Bottom Line

The cruise industry contributes billions to the Australian economy and supports 22,000 jobs, but as Little stated, the company has to go where the market conditions are “more favorable.”

Apparently, North America offers more favorable seas at the moment.  For now, North American cruisers are getting another ship, and Australia has to wonder if the market will continue to look like it’s shrinking.  At least the move is seasonal, and Australian’s will be able to enjoy Carnival Adventure when it returns for their own summer months.

Carnival Adventure (formerly Pacific Adventure) is a 109,000 gross ton ship that was built in 2000 as a Grand-class vessel. It can accommodate 2,600 passengers and has been rebranded into the Carnival Cruise Line fleet.

You can check out a video tour of the ship here: